Explain the supervisor’s role in workplace safety.

Supervisors are the people who are in constant contact with the workers who are actually likely to be doing things that are unsafe. Therefore, supervisors have a very important role to play in workplace safety. Supervisors can do at least three things to promote workplace safety.

Correct workers when they are acting in an unsafe manner. Supervisors are observing workers on a fairly continuous basis. Therefore, they are in position to notice when workers are doing things that are likely to be unsafe. They can then point out the problem to the worker and counsel them on how to work more safely.

Not pressure workers to work too fast. One thing that can lead to accidents is workers who feel that they must rush. Of course, supervisors want workers to work quickly and efficiently, but rushing them is likely to lead to accidents, which ruin efficiency. Therefore, supervisors should ensure that they are not pushing their workers too hard.

Create a safe physical work environment. Supervisors are constantly observing the work environment. They should be able to notice physical conditions that are not safe. They should correct those conditions so that workers are not put in danger.

These are three major roles that supervisors can play in creating a safe workplace.